Order gone overboard

[Neubert]

How would a fantasy town look and feel to the players if the balance between order and chaos in that town suddenly has shifted all the way towards order? I can imagine every detail having to be registered and people being very rigid in their actions.

- The players being stopped at the town gate until the town guard has informed the mayor that a party of x will enter the town and this has been registered. Then the players will each be handed a note that shows they have been registered.

- Everyone walks in the same direction on each side of the roads in the town, and would be appalled at the players walking in the wrong side. Perhaps it is even a crime?

- All the roads and buildings are being rebuilt to make them perfectly straight and even.

- Entering the inn, the players again have to wait for the innkeeper to register that a party of x will be staying the night. The sign outside is updated with the number of rooms available.


What else would the players experience?

 

[S'mon]

You could try visiting Switzerland?

 

[jonesy]

I thought Austria was the strict one?

 

[Ranes]

As you're already implying, at some level order is maintained by bureaucracy. Getting weapons peace-bonded might take days of filling out forms in triplicate. You can put players in Catch 22 situations where in order to get form A signed, they must have a valid form B but they can't get a form B validated without form C, which cannot be obtained without form A, and so on.

You could have morality police enforce some new stricture, even language usage. This word is now banned. This word now means this. Failure to use the appropriate word could result in anything from a faux pas to a failed diplomacy check, to a fine or imprisonment. Of course, having to adhere to the rules of the approved vocabulary can make communication suddenly more challenging, especially if the PCs are trying to fit in. Double plus good!

Certain foods or spells might be banned or unavailable on certain days. There may be curfews or parts of town that are restricted to certain classes, guilds or what have you. I think the idea of this kind of sudden, extreme change could be a great basis for adventure. Have fun.

 

[the Jester]

Lots of paperwork.

Everyone wears a uniform.

All the buildings are built in uniform cookie cutter neighborhoods.

Each race has its own distinct neighborhood and role. All the dwarves are smiths, for instance.

Trees are planted in neat rows.

The roads are set out as a grid, with street names running in numbers one way (1st St, 2nd St, etc) and letters the other way (A St, B St, etc).

Everything must be recorded, registered and licensed. There's no "Hey, anyone here want to buy my longsword +1?" unless you get a merchant's license, have your own stall, etc.

There is no point in shopping around; prices are uniform for a given item everywhere. Also, quality is consistent throughout.

If you've ever read A Wrinkle in Time, there's a scene where the pcs (if you will) come to a street with kids out front of each house, bouncing a ball. They're all doing it in perfect tandem (well, except for one misfit, but he's an aberration). Lots of inspiration in there for Law Gone Mad!

 

[RainOfSteel]

I thought Austria was the strict one?

Singapore. You can get caned for spitting gum on the sidewalk.

Lots of paperwork.

It depends on what kind of Fantasy setting. For some, paperwork won't be an option. In those, you'll either be of the right caste/social-strata to have rights X, Y, and Z, or you won't, and outsiders have no rights at all. Masquerading as a certain caste has its advantages, but death is the usual penalty for doing so.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Extreme order means everyone acts as one, there is no individuality. Think ants, or termites, communists, or puritans. There's no money, no need for it. Everyone works extremely hard. There may be a single autocratic ruler, or more likely, there is no ruler at all.

Outside, potentially dangerous and disruptive elements, such as an adventuring party, would be extremely unwelcome. The townsfolk might be building, or have built, a giant wall around their lands. There wouldn't be an inn, travellers are not welcome. The inn would be being converted to a school, granary or other utilitarian function. There would be no alcohol, it can lead to violence, or slothful behaviour. No music, no dancing, no singing, no art of any kind. The children would be very unchildlike, no games or fun.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Extreme order can mean a lot of paperwork, but it would also mean extreme efficiency.

I wouldn't expect to see a "fill out these papers and in five months you'll be evaluated for the purchase of that tooth brush" scenario.


Nothing is ever wasted. That includes time as well as more tangible resources.

All citizens are required to be educated and in good shape (morning and evening calesthenics paired with reciting lessons learned that day.

No one should ever be doing one thing at a time. If you are walking, you should also be knitting, carrying something from one place to another, walking with someone else and either teaching them or learning from them, and so on.

 

[Ariosto]

Legislation, bureaucracy and judiciary are necessary when the nature of people is in conflict with the order desired.

Where all are in harmony without coercion, as in religious fantasies about the Kingdom of Heaven or a Buddha-Land, there is no need for structures meant to direct people where they do not wish to go or to keep them from doing what their hearts will.

In D&D, Law represents the drive toward community, while Chaos represents the drive toward individualism. Expressions will depend in part on intersection with the Good-Evil axis.

Assuming a basically Good alignment, a shift toward Law would see less self-reliance and solitude, more cooperation and gregariousness.

 

[Neubert]

Very good replies. I like the point about citizens being in good shape. Perhaps it is a requirement for visitors too? Sorry Mr. Wizard, you can't enter.

Outsiders does bring a form of chaos into the town, which I could see the townspeople acting negatively towards. However, I don't see the town having problems with people who act appropriately.

My idea was for the players to simply happen upon this town and if they wish they can investigate. This might be a good time to think about some reasons why order suddenly has descended upon the town.. Unfortunately, I am drawing a blank right now.